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Re: Cow & Spike Tactics!

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Re: Cow & Spike Tactics!

Postby ElkNut1 » 06 03, 2012 •  [Post 1]

With much patience to be able to hang around an area with little to no moving around you can hunt elk with Blind/Cold Calling Setups or hunt elk at "Destination" spots! In blind calling situations you are basically calling for elk to come to an area they have no intentions of going too outside your peaking their curiosity through calling! Destination spots such as heavily used trails, water source or wallows can be good choices especially early season before cows are with the bigger bulls! For Cows & Spikes those areas & calling styles would suit us best! A Spot & Stalk would also work well once elk are located & a direction is noticed! My # -1 choice would be to sit a trail leading from feeding areas, watering to bedding areas! These are easily found by their beat down trails, at times I will set up a game camera on such trails prior to the season & during the season while there on my hunt, I find a good camera or two is a great scouting tool when I'm not actually sitting a certain trail or waterhole as it's tough to sit more than one at a time! I find many of these trails crossing dirt roads or old skid trails. So many times hunters drive right by these beat down trails calling everywhere from roads when all they have to do is pay very close attention to tracks & trails just off the side of these roads or crossing them.

Here's a photo of a small bull 100yds off a dirt road heading to a small waterhole, a trail is beat down to it!
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ElkNut1
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Re: Cow & Spike Tactics!

Postby ElkNut1 » 06 03, 2012 •  [Post 2]

For Cows & Spikes active water sources are hard to beat, but trolling for elk works great too! This can be done driving dirt roads, the ones less accessible the better as they deter many hunters. Find drop off points off the road & penetrate in no more than a 1/2 mile, setup where you are concealed to the point with the terrain or some obstruction that elk MUST come into your range before they can physically see where sounds are coming from, if you setup where they can see outside of bowrange from the spot your sounds are coming from that's generally where they'll hang-up! Not good!! Make sure wind is in your favor from where you hope they should show from such as an elk trail etc.

Once in your selected setup mix up a few cow sounds, some subtle & quiet (low volume) as they seem to be milling around & a few with a bit more excitement on mid-volume. Throw your sounds left & right & rustle brush gently but loud enough for sound to carry in the vicinity as if elk are milling & feeding around, call for about 2 minutes as naturally as possible with a slight intermittent here & there for 2-3 minutes, wait 4-5 minutes & do it again but for only a minute or so this time, you are really trying to generate curiosity out of any elk within earshot! Wait 30-40 min & if nothing shows move down the road another 1/2-3/4 mile & do it again, you will eventually have elk come your way & your chances are very good that cows & spikes will show 1st! Do this type of setup & moving & odds are you will be successful

Here's elk activity at a waterhole!
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ElkNut1
ElkNut/Paul
 
Posts: 4673
Joined: 05 11, 2012
Location: Idaho